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STEP THREE: BE INFORMED

CONSCIOUS CHOKING

If you encounter a conscious, choking individual that is coughing, encourage continued coughing. If the victim is unable to cough, speak, or breathe, complete the following:

  • Send someone to call 9-1-1
  • Lean person forward and give 5 back blows with heel of your hand.
  • Give 5 quick abdominal thrusts by placing the thumbside of your fist against the middle of the victim's abdomen, just above the navel. Grab your fist with the other hand.
  • Repeat until the object the person is choking on is forced out and person breathes or coughs on his or her own.

Video transcript:
{Coughing}

Keep coughing. Are you choking? Someone call 911! –  he's choking. May I help? I know what to do.

When a conscious person can no longer cough, speak or breathe, he may be choking. We give back-blows and abdominal thrusts to help push the object out of the airway. Do not try this on your partner. Brian is only simulating the back-blows and abdominal thrusts. What we can learn by practicing with our partners is how to position ourselves in relation to the person who is choking and how to find the correct hand placement for giving back-blows and abdominal thrusts.

Let's say Brian has just swallowed a piece of candy and it's stuck in his throat. His body's natural response is to cough forcefully to get the object out. If the person is coughing forcefully, he's still getting oxygen. Encourage him to keep coughing.

{Coughing}

Keep coughing.

But if a conscious person can no longer cough, speak or breathe, he may be choking. Have someone call for help, then obtain consent to provide care.

Are you choking? Someone call 9-1-1, he's choking! May I help? I know what to do.

You just confirmed that a person is choking and he's given me permission to help. Use back-blows first to help dislodge the object from the airway. Stand at the person's side and have them bend forward.

Just watch me do the next part. Do not give back-blows to your partner.

Using the heal of your hand, give five forceful back-blows between the shoulder blades. Each back-blow should be a separate attempt to get the object out. If the five back-blows do not get the object out, give five abdominal thrusts. Stand behind the person, use one hand to find the naval. Make a fist with your other hand and place the thumb side of your fist against the middle of the abdomen just above the navel. Got it? Now that you have your fist in the right place, grab that fist with your other hand. This is the position you want to be in to give five abdominal thrusts. Pull upward, quickly, with each thrust. Each thrust should be a separate attempt to force the object out.

Continue giving five back-blows and five abdominal thrusts until that object is coughed up, until the person starts to breathe or cough forcefully on his own or until the person becomes unconscious. If the person loses consciousness, gently lower them to the ground, taking care to protect the head all the way down. You will learn how to care for an unconscious choking person in another lesson.